action hieght on a bongo 5

[robobass13]

hi folks, I just picked a bongo 5, let me start by saying that I have been working on guitars and basses for about twenty years, so I have set up a few basses. has anyone around here had trouble getting low action on a bongo 5 without buzzing. do these basses just have hi action, I mean it doesn't have any high spots on the fret board or anything like that, I'm very frustrated any help people?

 

[bovinehost]

1. ..has anyone around here had trouble getting low action on a bongo 5 without buzzing?

No. I think I have the lowest possible string height on my blue HS Bongo 5 and it doesn't buzz. (Unless I play too hard, which I've been known to do.)

2. ... do these basses just have hi action?

Any bass can "just have" high action. You have to make a deal between relief and string height.

I am forbidden by law from getting into details of set-up issues, but there is a LOT of good information here. Try the search function.

Jack

 

[Slim]

If truss rod tension and saddle height adjustment does not work try to insert a shim at the neck joint. You can make your own shim by cutting a plastic sheet such as credit card you always wanted to get rid of to a small rectangular shape. Fender used to do this trick to adjust the neck angle. Good luck!
Slim

 

[robobass13]

thanks guys, like I said I've setup basses before and I own 5 musicman basses, and on this one I have tried every trick in the book and still buzz city if I try to get the action even half as low as my SR5's. plus all MM basses have a small at the heel already incase you did not know, and Ive tried putting a thicker one in and same result. I think whats really making me crazy is there is nothing wrong with anything one the bass, the frets are level, theres no hump/warp in the neck, notihing, oh well thanks for letting me rant, and thanks for the advice.

 

[maddog]

I've gotten in the middle of setups and, much like you, couldn't get it where I wanted. I set it aside for a day or two and tackle it again. Usually, some sort of alignment of the planets happens and presto, I get it where I want it. So I guess I'm saying, I've been there but don't know how to help.

 

[robobass13]

thanks tom, thats where I'm at right now.

 

[tkarter]

You sure couldn't make me shim the neck on my Bongo 5. No way no how. I would send that baby into MM and pay them to get it right way before I did something crazy.

imho

tk

 

[Eggman]

You sure couldn't make me shim the neck on my Bongo 5. No way no how. I would send that baby into MM and pay them to get it right way before I did something crazy.

imho

tk

+1

 

[strummer]

I have it at close to 2,5 mm, but the orange was set up 2,0 (B) to 1,6 (G) for a while. Needed a bit of a light touch, but that´s expected.

 

[tkarter]

Buzzin in the amp is what tells it all. Those of us that play flats probably can get lower without any unamplified buzz.

The thing I think most right now is that I know EB did not send a Bongo out the door with less than a great action on it.

Weather may have affected it. A quarter turn of the truss wheel should have brought it back.

If it isn't that way then call customer service.


tk

 

[robobass13]

I agree, there is already a shim in the neck from the factory, I could not bring myself to shim it anymore. i owned a bongo H/S 5 when they first came and the action was amazing, so I know what it should be, plus like I said I have been doing this for over twenty years, I,m not the original owner, but I think I will call cust. service.

 

[Soulfinger]

I had the nut filed down a bit on mine, and that helped significantly.

 

[robobass13]

well it's all good, I was very frustrated at the fact I could not get the action very low on my new bongo with my favorite strings(warwick black label stainless), and I also could not get the action very low with slinkys, DR hi beams, DR lo riders. so I tried a new set of Daddario prosteels 45-130 light gauge and it made a big improvment, so I decided to go ahead and do a light leveling of the frets and recrown and I mean light. well the end result is an amazingly smooth and fast playing bass with no buzz, I think a previous owner had tried to do some fret work, and It was only when I had the neck off and the tension backed off the trussrod and put a straight edge on the frets that it was noticable that someone had done somthing and had mad a couple of high spots, but now I have fresh frets and a killer bass.

 

[maddog]

awesome! glad it worked out.

 

[robobass13]

thanks tom, your advice to just step back and take another look at the problem later was good advice, thanks again to everyone.